LISNews: Librarian News

Here's an easy conference to take in, in the comfort of your own office or home--The International Podcasting Expo begins today and contines for 48 hours. Lots of give-aways and goodies, as per usual.

Download the schedule and other information on attending from PR web. Or buy a CD at the conclusion of the conference.

Leslie Burger is back from her quick trip to New Orleans along with Michael Gorman, Keith Fiels, Diedre Ross and Deborah Bloom. She says it appears from what they all saw that the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau along with the hotels are well prepared for the big conference. The Convention Center will be completely refurbished by the time of the conference. They also met with the asst. director of Public Health who reassured them about the city's capacity to handle emergency services.

Here's An NPR Report on PLA from a few days ago. Thousands of librarians from across the nation are gathered in Boston this week for the Public Library Association's annual convention. They'll discuss among other topics, how to more aggressively market their libraries, and keep people coming in the door, in an era when Internet research is easily done from the comfort of home.

Bob Oakes speaks with Dan Walters, the president of the Public Library Association. We asked him whether libraries are becoming more creative in their bid to attract patrons.

Birdie sent in an email report from Boston:

Hello from Boston, where the eleventh annual Public Library Association
Conference (a biennial event) is being held at the John Hynes Convention
Center in Back Bay. Public librarians from around the country are gathered
to share their best ideas and find out what's new and exciting in the
library world, and in particular how best to serve their communities in
these days of the shrinking public dollar. There are tons of publishing
houses represented of course, as well as distributors,subscription services,
and technology suppliers. Library equipment and service vendors are well
represented, from a manufacturer of themed program activity kits for
remembering Bi-folkal Productions to RFID bookdrop
manufacturers Birchard Company . I happen to be
particularly familiar with these two vendors, as I am sandwiched between
them in Exhibit Hall A, selling In My Book greeting card/bookmarks to library stores and friends groups. -- Read More